Improvement in safety-stops for gun-locks



W. G. OLIVER.

Gun Look.

No. 55,588. Patented June 12. 1866.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

, W. G. OLIVER, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK. ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND V O. K. REMINGTON, OF THE SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN SAFETY-STOPS FOR GUN-LOCKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 55,588, dated June 12, 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, W. G. OLIVER, of Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fire-Arms 5 and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying draw ings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side view of a portion of a gun with my improvement attached. Fig. 2 is a top View of my improvement, showing its connection with the gun-stock and with the hammer, the upper part or head of the hammer being removed. Fig. 3 is a back view of the hammer and a section of my improvement, showing the recess in the side of the hammershank for its reception.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

It is well known that guns are frequently accidentally discharged while being carried, eudangering the life and often fatally injuring the person carrying the gun or some of his companions. It is believed that these accidents occur almost universally from the hammer being partially raised by coming in contact with some obstruction and then being suddenly released. A gun with the hammer at half-cock cannot be discharged in this way, for if the hammer should then be slightly raised and suddenly let go it would stop at half-cock, and if it should be raised to the full-cock it could then only be discharged by pulling the trigger-a thing "cry unlikely to happen from accident.

My invention has for its object the guarding against this accidental discharge of the gun when carried with the hammer down and it consists in combining a self-acting guard with the hammer, as hereinafter more fully described.

A is the stock, B the board, 0 the lock-plate, and D the hammer, of the gun, all of which parts are made in the usual form, except that the inner side of the shank d of the hammer D is cut away, as shown in Fig. 3, so as to allow space for the spring or guard E when the gun is cooked.

The guard E is a spring attached to the stock or lock-plate of a gun, and which extends forward to the hammer D. Upon the forward end of this spring or guard E is formed a shoulder, which rests against the rear edge of the hammer D, as shown in Figs. l and 2. The elasticity of the spring holds it securely against the hammer, and the shoulder on said spring or guard prevents the hammer from being accidentally raised. To half-cock or cook the gun it is only necessary to press in the guard E far enough to free the hammer from the action of said spring, and then raise the hammer in the ordinary manner.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The combination, with the hammer of the gun-lock, of the automatic spring-guard so arranged as in' its normal positionmto engage with the hammer and act as a detentthereto, and relieved from the same for the purpose of cockin g by pressure toward the stock, substantially as described.

W. G. OLIVER. Witnesses:

O. K. REMINGTON, 0. L. E. TOPLIFF. 

